Helping You Heal
by crailis
Summary: [Oneshot] [KatAang] My take on what happens right after the end of Crossroads of Destiny.


I'm pretty new to the whole Avatar: TLA writing buisness, and this is the first fanfiction I have ever written. I apologize before hand for my crappy writing style. If it doesn't make any sense, tell me. I would like to improve greatly.  
Rated T for safety. I dont want to make that kind of mistake.

A bit of Kataang stuff. Takes place _right_ after "Crossroads of Destiny". If you have yet to see it, you may be kind of lost.  
It is also completely in Katara's point of view, if you cant figure that out after the first few paragraphs.

I dont own these characters.

**Helping You Heal  
**_You'll need to wake up soon  
But for now, you should sleep  
Rest your wounds  
as I watch over you  
holding your hand  
keeping you safe  
and helping you heal_

**0808080808080808**

_The Earth Kingdom has fallen…_

Those words were muttered by the Earth King only moments ago. Since then, none of us have said a word. It was completely silent on the back of the large flying beast, the phrase hovering over us like a dark cloud and slowly seeping through our minds.

Was it our fault it had fallen? How long will it take for the news to get out?

_The Earth Kingdom has fallen…_

…Was it our fault?

That question drifted before me over and over again. Was it? To tell you the truth, I wasn't in the state of mind to answer that. My head was pounding, my muscles sore, and I all-in-all felt absolutely horrible. I lifted my free hand to my head, running my fingers through my sprawled out hair. I shut my eyes hard in concentration, trying to think the recent happenings over in my head.

I heard something mumbling next to me. I looked down, and Aang seemed to shift uncomfortably in his sleep. Thankfully, his breathing was become steadier, more normal, but he still couldn't hide the undeniable expression of pain on his face, even as he slept. His expression was filled with other emotions, emotions I couldn't pinpoint right now. I clung on to him gently, a look of deep concern on my face for the boy. Out of all of us, he had easily gone through the most. The images of the battle replayed in my mind. Azula and Zuko, the Dai Li… the lightning… Right now, I'm even surprised to find my best friend alive, deeply glad that I had not made the mistake of using the spiritual water for other purposes. Although I am still unsure if I saved his Avatar Spirit, I am wholeheartedly thankful that I saved his life.

"Katara…?" someone whispered. I jumped a bit, surprised by the broken silence. For a moment, I thought it was Aang saying my name, but I turned slightly to find my brother looking down at me from Appa's back.

I tilted my head slightly in question, my voice not wanting to work right now. Sokka continued "Katara, we need to land somewhere so Aang can rest…" My eyes met with my brothers, and his too were full of hurt and confusion. "…So we can _all_ rest…" he finished. I nodded, turning my attention back to Aang.

The talking did not stop there, though. I half listened as my brother explained some things to Toph and the Earth King. His voice was extremely quiet, obviously believing that anything louder than a whisper would cause some kind of devastating effect.

"I doubt we'll have too much trouble finding a place to stay for the night, at least." He started "I have a feeling Azula will want to keep the overthrow of Ba Sing Se at a low for a while. Having an entire city that was basically oblivious to the war in uproar wouldn't be a smart way to go." I was surprised by my brothers' logical thinking at a time like this. But, I suppose someone had to be logical…

I watched out of the corner of my eye as my brother took out a map of the area, surveying it closely. "Uh… there should be a town coming up here shortly. Maybe we can rest there…" I nodded, and sure enough a rather small earth kingdom town appeared in the distance. I led Appa down towards its front gate, hoping that the slight change in speed and direction didn't bother Aang too much.

As we landed outside the towns' front gate, we waited silently until we were approached by one of the guards. Sokka, Toph and I all remained silent. The Earth King took the hint, jumped off Appa and approached the man, Bosco stumbling after him. It was not long before we were allowed to enter the town.

We were given the royal treatment… Not very different than most places we've been.

As Sokka explained our situation to what seemed to be the villages leader, I helped Toph unload the few things we had. I kept a sharp eye on Aang, who I lay against one of his bison's legs, his lemur laying next to him. I smiled at him, despite myself and the condition he was in. My smile faded immediately after Sokka came up to me. He said something along the lines that these people had a small, private building that we were free to use to allow Aang to rest in.

With my brother and Tophs help, we got Aang to the small building without, hopefully, causing him too much pain. It was basically a one-room house, a pair of windows, a solid door. It was blocked off from the rest of the town quite well, and the area itself was rather quiet and peaceful.

We opened the door, and the inside was a little roomier than expected. There was a single bed and a lantern on a table next to it. Also around the room were various healing supplies.

I helped place Aang on the bed as gently as possible, while trying not to hurt him too much. He gave a groan of pain as the burned skin on his back hit the cushion, causing me to close my eyes, angry with myself. When he was settled, his breathing once again became regular.

I barely noticed my brother and the blind earthbender leave the building. Instead, I turned my attention to the small lantern on the side table, along with some spark rocks to light it with. I picked the rocks up, my hands trembling incredibly as I tried and failed repeatedly to light it. I don't know how long it was before it was lit, but it felt like it dragged on forever. I turned the light down a bit, making it so it wouldn't be blinding if Aang were to wake up.

I turned back around, somewhat expecting at least my brother to be standing there. Instead, all I saw was a decent sized pail of water. I sighed, picking up the pail and placing it near the bed.

I stood towering over my young friend, examining him. I knew what I had to do next, and it gave me an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't really a bad feeling, just an odd one…

I began stripping the young Avatar of his tattered clothing. I did this gently, knowing that he had quite a few wounds, some of them not even visible. As I did this, I felt a blush rising to my cheeks. Every time I came across a part of his eccentric tattoos, I let my hand brush over his skin, watching as his muscles twitched as I did so.

_What is wrong with me…?_ I thought as I ran my hand gently over his arm after his shirt was removed, somewhat enjoying watching the muscle spasms.

When he was stripped of everything but his undergarments, I looked over him again, the blush on my cheeks deepening.

Suddenly, I backed away from him, muttering in my frustration. _What the heck is wrong with me?! I shouldn't be fantasizing about him at a time like this! He's hurt!_

At that very moment, my brother walked into the building, looking at me curiously. His gaze turned from my rosy cheeks to Aang's mostly-naked body. Then he looked down at the clothes on the floor, then back at me, one of his eyebrows raised in a curious expression. I simply shrugged and he chuckled slightly. "I'll take his clothes off your hands; see if I can get them fixed somewhere." He picked the clothes off the floor and left, still chuckling very slightly.

I propped myself up against the side table, taking a few deep breaths before I got back to work, trying to focus myself on the task at hand just a little bit better. After a few moments, I turned back to him and lowered myself to my knees at his bedside, making sure I had a good view of him before I got to work.

I gently turned Aang on his side so I could see the wound on his back, trying so hard not to put him through any more pain, and beating myself up inside whenever he let out a moan.

I stared at the wound in his back, and the air was caught in my lungs as I studied it. The Oasis Water did a little healing of it, but it was obvious that its main focus was bringing Aang back. The skin around the main wound was savagely burned, and the wound itself gave the appearance of a dark hole that led straight into the boys' spirit. I closed my eyes and shook my head, hating Azula for doing this to him.

I bent some water out of the bucket into my hand, watching as it glowed slightly. I slowly pressed it against the wound, watching as Aang shivered as the cold water hit his skin. "Sorry…" I said softly to him, my voice cracking due to lack of use. I worked on this wound for a little while, watching as the skin slowly started looking better. After quite some time, I pulled the water away from it, bending the water back into the bucket. I examined it closely. It did look much better, no longer like a hole into his soul. The once burned skin around the main wound was a bit pink, and I ran my finger against it. Aang tensed up, but I pressed my hand gently against the wound for some reason. "That's all I can do for that for now, I think…" I whispered in his ear apologetically.

I quickly got to work on the rest of his wounds and bruises, watching as almost all of them disappeared or turned into barely visible scars. He now lay in bed on his back, the look of pain almost gone from his face. I smiled at him, thinking that he looked much better.

My gaze drifted out the nearest window. The sun was already starting to rise. I had been up all night healing and… _examining_ him. "But I'm not tired…" I said, talking to myself out loud. "There has to be something more I can do for him…"

Rummaging through the cabinets in the little place, looking for something I can use that could help him. I found a wrapped up bandage I could use. I grinned, getting back on my knees next to his bed again. I gently took him by the shoulders and lifted him so he was sitting up. I repeatedly said "sorry", just in case it could have still been painful.

I unwrapped the bandage, and started wrapping it around him gently. I made sure they weren't too tight, but had the needed pressure. As I neared finishing, I gently lay him back down. I took the beginning and the end of the bandage, thankful that I remembered to keep the start of it loose, and tied the two ends together. I may have been a bit too happy to get this done, seeing as I tied them a bit tighter than I should have.

When I tied it, Aang's hand shot up and grabbed mine, surprising me greatly. I looked up at his face and he was smiling at me, his grey eyes shining, maybe even slightly tearful. He laced his fingers through mine, and I laughed silently as we both blushed a bit.

"Hey, Katara…" He whispered, closing his eyes.

"Shh… Quiet." I said, shaking my head. "You need to rest."

He nodded slowly. He kept his fingers laced through mine as he slowly drifted off to sleep. I smiled, glad that he seemed more at ease. I sat up a bit and placed a small kiss on his forehead, right at the tip of his arrow.

I don't know exactly _why_ I stayed by his side that long, or even how long I stayed here; All that I know is that I stayed by his side as long as I could, holding his hand, and watching him sleepily.

I felt a shiver go down my spine, and a gust of wind pass through the room. I turned completely around so I was facing the door, not surprised to find Sokka and Toph standing there. I let go of Aang's hand before my brother saw, feeling quite empty as I did so.

"Katara, you need to sleep…" Sokka was the first to speak, a look of concern on his face.

Toph agreed with him, nodding slowly. "Or, at least eat something." Her voice was notably weaker than usual.

I turned away from them, shaking my head. After a few moments of silence I said "I can't…"

"Why not?" Toph was the first to react.

I looked at the ground, messing with my hands in a distracted manner. "What if… what if something happens to him again… and I'm not there to help…?" I whispered, looking over Aang again, possibly for the millionth time that day.

"Nothing's going to happen to him…" Sokka promised, although I could hear that he was unsure by the tone of his voice. We were all unsure.

After yet another prolonged silence, I stood up, looking at my brother and my other best friend. "Alright… Just give me a minute or so…" The pair nodded and walked out.

I turned to Aang… The Avatar, the Worlds Last Hope, my best friend… my love? There were many names for him, but my heart skipped a beat when I thought of the last one, not truly considering it until now for some reason. I reached out and brushed his arm, smiling to myself. I whispered, not knowing if he was awake or not "I'll be right back, Aang. I promise. I just need some rest."

I slowly drifted towards the door, and I barely got through the doorway when I heard a yawn, a bit of shuffling, and a soft "Katara…"

I only looked at him through the corner of my eye, and there he was, sitting up and looking right at me.

I simply said "Rest…" to him and saw him lay back down.

I walked out of the building, not wanting to bother him any more for now. But, as I got under the window to his room, I heard something that made me stop dead in my tracks. A soft "I love you…" was heard from his room.

I stayed still, wondering if I heard him right. After a few moments, I lifted myself up so I could see through his window.

Aang was laying on his side, a few tears running down his face, clutching his pillow. His face no longer bore a pained expression, but instead seemed to be drowning in confusion. The tears running down his face accented this for some reason, and I was unsure why.

I brought myself back on solid ground. I leaned up against the wall, thinking this through. Was there something I didn't quite know about what happened with the Guru, or anything else for that matter? What wasn't he telling me? Why did saying that he loved me fill him with such confusion?

I was going to ask him, but decided to leave him alone for now. He was in no condition to elaborate.

I took a few steps towards where my brother and Toph were staying but stopped mid-stride and looked back at his window.

"I… love you, too…" I said softly, barely audible even to myself, wiping away a stray tear as I continued on my way.


End file.
